Hasta La Gadget!

Following rumors that the United Nations tapped astrophysicist Mazlan Othman to be the official Ambassador of Earth should we come in contact with intelligent extraterrestrials, the web went into speculation overdrive pondering just what international powers-that-be might know. (Ms. Othman has denied the space promotion.)

The diplomat-to-the-stars story broke at the same time that a group of retired US airmen held a press conference to announce that they all had experiences with giant flying “cigar-shaped” objects that would regularly hover over military bases to observe and mess with US nuke silos.

Following these extraordinary announcements, the human species took a moment to meditate on its place in the vast cosmos. But that was boring so then we went back to what we do best: makin’ movies about internet billionaires, gossipin’ about Lindsay’s latest stab at staying off the sauce, and placin’ bets. Crazy bets! British odds-makers are taking bets that there will be an official announcement from either Barack Obama or David Cameron on the existence of extraterrestrial life within the next year–100-to-1 odds. Bookmaker William Hills has announced he has taken “multiple bets” that mankind will come into contact with real-life E.T.s and K-Paxes.

The odds were even better back in August (80-to-1) when it was revealed that Winston
Churchill covered
up a run-in a RAF aircraft had with a UFO during WWII fearing that the
incident might cause a national panic.

So, do the bookies and UN know something we don’t? Or are they just greedy and an unwieldy bureaucracy respectively? I hope for the former, but I’m betting on the latter.

Ask anyone, and they’ll say the kids today think wristwatches are a thing of the past: smartphones are so much more “now.” WEWOOD’s wooden watches forego touchscreens and brushed aluminum to embrace old-school craftsmanship and style.

Each watch costs about $120, and is made from Ebony, Maple, Guaiaco, or Red Wing Celtis woods. The Italian watchmaker’s design philosophy is “eco-luxury”: no artificial or toxic materials, use of waste and reclaimed woods whenever possible, and every watch purchased pays to plant a new tree.

But mostly, WEWOOD says wearing a wooden watch from connects you not with the present but time itself: “WEWOOD lets us rediscover nature in its beauty, its simplicity and inspired design. It reminds us of a tree’s powerful way of life; rooted, yet reaching… It respects your skin as you respect nature by choosing it. Your WEWOOD Watch breathes the same air that you breathe and may awaken memories from another time and place.” I guess that justifies using an all-wooden band, which otherwise seems like it could be totally obnoxious.

These watches (particularly the ones with the digital faces) remind me of the Futurama episode “Obsoletely Fabulous,” where the robot Bender rebels against technology and replaces his metal body with a wooden one.

You couldn’t really call these watches retro, because even a century ago, we didn’t usually make watches using so much wood. Maybe you could borrow an analogy from grandfather clocks and call them “grandfather watches.” Or even (sigh) “steampunk watches.”

Image via WEWOOD.

WeWood: Watches crafted from reclaimed planks [Cool Hunting]

See Also:

• 'Steampunk' Designs That Actually Do Real Work
• Nerdcore Meets Steampunk in The John Henry Complex
• Why Wristwatches Are Still Worth Watching
• How to Turn the iPod Nano Into a Wristwatch
• MakerBot fabbed open-source wristwatch

Super Hi-Vision is still very experimental, but the BBC and NHK’s first UK-to-Tokyo SHV broadcast trial of a live musical set by the The Charlatans hints it is inching closer to commercial viability. A NHK-developed camera — one of three in existence — made it all possible, and featured a specialized lens and optical data transmitter to handle the retina-confounding 7680 x 4320 pixel signal. This SHV trial was also the first to use a blazingly fast 24Gb/s internet connection to broadcast in lieu of more expensive satellite transmissions used in previous tests. As if the brouhaha wasn’t bleeding-edge enough, a lucky few at the BBC could even view the show on a prototype 103-inch plasma television developed by NHK to see a mere quarter of the signal’s massive resolution. Sure, this may not be the kind of event kids will learn about in class someday, but it certainly makes us feel like giddy little school boys. To learn more, watch a behind the scenes BBC video on the event embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Matt]

Continue reading First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia

First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh Hexxeh, you sly tease. Yesterday, we saw the Chromium OS impresario post up an image of Google’s browser-centric environment running around inside Apple’s iPad and today he’s followed it up with a video. Unfortunately, it’s not the best performance demo in the world and is all too brief, but it does show touch sensitivity (kinda) functioning and — the strongest evidence that we’re no longer using iOS — a mouse cursor! Join us after the break as we follow the fascinating journey of an attempted Spotify Extension installation in Chrome.

[Thanks, Aaron]

Continue reading iPad and Chromium OS dance on video

iPad and Chromium OS dance on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Hexxeh’s Blog  | Email this | Comments

After testing (and buying) far too many iPad cases, including the famous bamboo Moleskine-alike Dodocase, I finally settled on Apple’s own slimline sleeve. So good is it that I have removed it precisely once since buying it almost a month ago, and that was to show my mother the iPad inside.

Booq’s new Boa folio-style case looks a lot like Apple’s, and adds a few extras. Like the Apple case, the iPad slides into the Boa and is held with its edges enclosed, and with holes for the ports. Both cases also share a sticky-out bumper around the perimeter, although the Boa’s sits at the back, not the center. Booq’s case also folds into a stand for either typing or horizontal display using the same clever tuck-in flap as Apple.

Then things diverge. The Boa is slightly padded, which makes it thicker but more protected than Apple’s case. It also has a couple pockets: a document sleeve on the inside and an iPhone-sized pocket on the front. These, too, could add bulk. Finally, the case has a closing strap to stop it flapping open like dirty uncle Pete’s shorts and accidentally revealing the delicate object within.

For me, the Apple iPad case is pretty much perfect. I don’t care about its dirt-attracting abilities, and prefer its slimline, skin-like profile to more protective padding. But in taking the best points of the Apple case and slightly adding to them, along with using high-quality Napa leather and something called “Twylon”, the folks at Booq have come up with a nice upgrade. It isn’t cheap, though: the Boa can be had in a range of manly, neutral colors for $90, or in a ballistic nylon version for $50. Available now.

Booq Boa product page [Booq. Thanks, Brad!]

See Also:

• Slim, Minimal iPad Bag is a Purse for Men
• How-To Make a Waterproof, Kitchen-Proof iPad Case and Stand …
• RadTech Offers Whole iPad Accessory Line
• Genius: FridgePad Turns iPad into Giant Fridge-Magnet
• Moleskine-Shaped, Bamboo iPad Case
• Little Black Book: An Open and Shut Case for iPhone 4

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